Background: Cyclophosphamide is anticancer chemotherapeutic drug and immunosuppressive agent for organ transplantation. After its administration, a broad range of negative impacts, involving reproductive toxicity, were observed.
The purpose of this research is to evaluate the impact of royal jelly and L-Carnitine on improving the histological and immunohistochemical changes in adult male albino rats that have been exposed to cyclophosphamide-induced testicular cytotoxicity.
Material and Methods: Control group 1 (ten rats) and treated group 2 (thirty rats) were separated into three identical subgroups from forty adult male albino rats (a, b, and c). Ten cyclophosphamide-treated rats made up subgroup (a). Ten rats were administered royal jelly with cyclophosphamide in subgroup (b). Subgroup (c): L-carnitine and cyclophosphamide were given to ten rats. The testes were removed and stained with H&E and Masson's trichrome stains, as well as immunohistochemically for detecting bcl-2 proteins, for light microscopic examination.
Results: Seminiferous deformed and shrank, with a significant decrease in germinal epithelium thickness that appeared detached from the irregular thick basement membrane and a wide empty lumen devoid of spermatozoa, an increased amount of interstitial tissue, congested blood vessels, and covered by thick tunica albuginea. Royal jelly and L-Carnitine were found to have a significant protective impact against testicular toxicity.
Conclusions: Cyclophosphamide produced marked alterations in the royal jelly's histological structure and L-Carnitine had a strong protective impact against the toxicity.